FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BROTHER PETER W. DRAKE, F.S.C., FORMER ASSISTANT DEAN OF ENGINEERING AND PROFESSOR AT MANHATTAN COLLEGE, DEAD AT 65

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Brother Peter W. Drake, F.S.C., former assistant dean of the school of engineering at Manhattan College, died on May 4, 2005. He was 65.

Br. Peter, who most recently served as adjunct assistant professor of math and computer science, joined the College in 1976 as the director of campus ministry, and served in this role until 1980. During this time, he also was coordinator of minority programs in engineering. Br. Peter earned his doctorate and master’s degree in electrical engineering, as well as a second master’s in religious studies, from The Catholic University of America. Since his arrival to the College, he has held several positions as a faculty member and administrator.

In the fall of 1982, Br. Peter, at the time, the assistant dean of engineering and assistant professor of electrical engineering, was appointed acting dean of the College’s school of engineering until the position was permanently filled. As assistant dean of engineering, Br. Peter was closely involved in the administration and development of the College’s programs in civil, chemical, electrical, environmental and mechanical engineering. Under his leadership, upper-level engineering courses became more readily available to residents of Westchester County and the mid-Hudson region. (The College at the time offered two courses at Westchester Community College.)

In 1989, he left Manhattan to accept an offer from Christian Brothers College in Memphis, Tenn. to serve as academic vice president. He returned to Manhattan College in 1992.

Prior to Manhattan College, Br. Peter taught at the University of Detroit, the College of New Rochelle, and De La Salle College in Washington, D.C. While teaching electrical engineering courses at the University of Detroit, Br. Peter also held the post of campus minister in an ecumenical ministry team. In addition to his advanced degrees, Br. Peter, who was born in New Rochelle, N.Y., earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Manhattan in 1962. He was invested with the religious habit of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 1968.

A published author, Br. Peter’s articles have appeared in numerous professional journals. He held memberships in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and Eta Kappa Nu, the national honor society of electrical engineers. He was a past recipient of the New York Archdiocesan Graduate Fellowship and the Board of Trustees’ Scholarship of The Catholic University.

The wake and funeral for Br. Peter were held at the Christian Brothers Center in Riverdale, N.Y., where he resided.

Manhattan College, founded in 1853, is an independent, Catholic, coeducational institution of higher learning offering more than 40 major programs of undergraduate study in the areas of arts, business, education, engineering and science, as well as graduate study in education and engineering.

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